Return to Sesame Place

All summer, Morgan has been asking us, "Can we go to Sesame Place when it opens?" (She forgot that we went in May before the water rides opened.) Somehow, the summer got away from us and we didn't make it back until last weekend.

Morgan was so excited that Sesame Place was finally open, we just couldn't break it to her that it had been open all summer. (So, Morgan, if you're reading this some time in the future: We're sorry. We'll make it up to you some day. We promise.)

This time around, we were joined by our friends Heather, Frankie, Jaimie and Sam (a.k.a. the Candullos). Gwen was excited to venture into the Monster Maze for the first time. Unfortunately, she was still a little freaked out by the monsters themselves. (No offense, Murry.)

Sam, on the other hand, ran right up to Elmo and gave him a big hug.

Elmo thought it would be funny to steal Andy's hat. So the family photo below is brought to you by the letter "H" for "Hat Head". (Thanks, Elmo.)

It was pretty warm for mid-September, so we got a chance to enjoy some of the water rides. Ariella and Morgan hopped into a tube and sailed down Big Bird's Rambling River.

Later, Morgan enjoyed splashing around in Ernie's Waterworks. Gwen still hasn't figured out the joy of water. Maybe next summer, Gwen.

Next, Morgan and Jaimie took a couple slippery slides to Slimey's Chutes.

Finally, it was time for the all-new Sesame Place "block party" parade. We got prime spots in the front so the kids could see all their favorite characters.

After a few more rides (Morgan and Ariella rode Grover's roller coaster twice), we headed home. It was a busy day for the girls, so they put on their pajamas and watched (what else?) Sesame Street, surrounded by all their stuffed Sesame Street dolls.

Too Cool for Pre-School

Wednesday was Morgan's first day of preschool. All the teachers at her school are just as amazed as we are that she's already old enough for preschool. Seems like it was just yesterday that she was one of the first group of babies in the nursery when the school opened. Now she's loading up a backpack with crayons, markers and composition books so she can practice writing letters, phonics, math and Spanish.

Meanwhile, Gwen also moved into a new classroom at school this week -- graduating from "Infant B" to "Toddler A". Not wanting to be outdone by Morgan, Gwen strapped on her backpack Wednesday morning and loaded it up with, well, nothing. But she very excited about it anyway.

Nanna, Grand-Nanna, Fo-Fanna!

Over Labor Day weekend, Ariella's parents -- Nanna and Grandpa -- made the trip back east to see the girls. And while they were here, Ariella's grandparents -- Grand-Nanna and Pappy -- also came to visit. Having 4 generations of the Stock family and multiple layers of grandparenthood really caught Morgan by surprise..."Two Nanna's?!?!?" she asked.

Whenever there's a Stock-Riley-Sakraida-Saucier get-together, you can guarantee there will be lots of baking involved. Morgan was thrilled to join Aunt Jenny, Nanna and Grand-Nanna in the kitchen... and then relax at the bar with Grandpa to taste the results.

Of course, we didn't spend the entire weekend in the kitchen. (In fact, Ariella and Andy were just getting home from the ER when Nanna and Pappy arrived... but that's a story for another time.)

Morgan and Gwen had a great time in the backyard blowing bubbles, drawing with sidewalk chalk, shooting some hoops with Grandpa, and munching on a picnic snack.

Lately, Gwen has discovered the joy of being inside the playhouse. Once she gets inside, her favorite thing to do is yell out the windows. (Months of watching Morgan yell at our groundhogs from the dining room windows has rubbed-off, we guess.)

Before everyone left, we made sure we took a photo of all 4 generations together. (Can you can tell which daughter was excited for the inter-generational photo opp and which one had done this before?)